Successes overshadowed by raft of negative factorsAll incremental successes achieved in the economy in recent past have been overshadowed by factors such as price hike of essentials, increase in interest rate, power shortage and currency depreciation,

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Economists trash conspiracy theoryLeading economists of the country have urged the government and the garment owners to stop looking for the "conspiracy theory" and form a commission to identify and resolve the basic problems of the garment

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FDI dips 10.7pc this fiscal yearBelying the Board of Investment (BoI) claim of substantial increase in foreign investment, Bangladesh Bank's statistics recorded a 10.7 per cent year-on-year decline during July-March of this fiscal year.

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'Torture' victims demand his punishmentAbout 60 victims of alleged torture by BNP lawmaker Shahidul Islam and his men yesterday formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club in the capital demanding his arrest and exemplary punishment.

Politicised GDP growth rateCentre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) yesterday said governments estimate higher GDP growth rate in the election years to show a bright picture of economy but later the rate is revised downward when a newgovernment

CEC should resign, says Oli AhmedBNP Standing Committee member Oli Ahmed yesterday said the chief election commissioner (CEC) should resign in the wake of the Supreme Court's latest verdict on voter list.

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PM discusses EPZ issue with top ministersAfter receiving a letter from domestic and foreign investors following fresh labour unrest at Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ), Prime Minister Khaleda Zia had a meeting with five ministers yesterday

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3 officials of DEPZ removedThe government last night relieved three Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEZP) officials of duty for their negligence during workers' agitation in the zone.

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Jamaat says opposition trying to split allianceJamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh Ameer and Industries Minister Maulana Matiur Rahman Nizami yesterday said their opponents' main target is to take results of the upcoming general elections in their favour by

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Sylhet elite find 'conspiracy' against SaifurA section of the elite of Sylhet yesterday urged the prime minister to stop Finance and Planning Minister Saifur Rahman from tendering resignation, saying there is a "deep-rooted conspiracy" against him.

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UK police hunt for 'dirty' bombBritish anti-terrorist police are hunting for a "dirty" chemical bomb that could be used in an attack in Britain after a major raid failed to uncover a device they believe exists, newspapers reportedyesterday.

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4 Russian embassy workers kidnappedA Russian embassy worker was killed and four of his colleagues were kidnapped in west Baghdad yesterday while seven policemen were killed in insurgent attack on a checkpoint near Baquba, an interior ministry

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Iran awaits world powers' proposalIran said yesterday it was awaiting a new international proposal to ease a crisis over its disputed nuclear programme but stuck by its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment work.

Bank deposit rate fails to protect real value: CPDBank deposit rate could not protect its real value as it still remained negative, according to Independent Review of Bangladesh's Development (IRBD), a series of reports carried out by the Centre forPolicy

India's aid package for Nepal high on agendaIndia's economic aid package will be high on the agenda when Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala holds talks with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh here early next week.

African economic forum spins optimistic outlookEncouraging economic growth, good prospects, and an attractive climate for investment: that is the picture the World Economic Forum in Africa has painted of the poorest continent as it seeks to boosta

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US to forge future of European financial marketsThe possible arrival of the New York Stock Exchange in Europe via the planned acquisition of Euronext strikes at the heart of ambitions to create a vast European financial market strong enough to challenge

Football:Germany dispatch ColombiaGermany wrapped up their World Cup preparations here Friday with a morale-boosting 3-0 victory over Colombia in a pre-tournament friendly.

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Football:Lippi happy despite drawItaly coach Marcello Lippi praised his team after a morale-boosting performance in their final warm-up before the World Cup finals ended in a 0-0 draw with Ukraine.

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Football:FIFA denies commercialisationOne week before the World Cup starts, the head of football's world governing body Sepp Blatter on Friday fought off accusations that the tournament will be ruined by big business.

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Football:Akram tips England for football gloryFormer Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram backed England on Saturday to win the World Cup, saying he expected Sven-Goran Eriksson's men to triumph against the odds.

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Football:Chile foil Swedish prepsSweden drew 1-1 with Chile on Friday in their final warm-up match before the World Cup and coach Lars Lagerback said his side would need to play more aggressively in the tournament.

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Football:Let's do the Crouch! Hands outstretched, elbows rigid at right angles and jerkily moving to an imaginary beat, it is the goal celebration-cum-dance craze that is shaking England.

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Football:"Dumb Americans"Bruce Arena and the U.S. soccer team quickly settled into the role of World Cup outsider.

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Football:'Raul will bounce back'Spain coach Luis Aragones has defended his captain Raul as he looks set to alter his tactics to incorporate the striker for the World Cup warm-up match against Egypt in Elche on Saturday.

Cricket:Bowlers dominate youth cricket finalWickets fell like ninepins on the first day of the evenly poised two-day final of the Dhaka Bank Under-19 Cricket Championship at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

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Cricket:N'ganj school in finalLaxminarayan Cotton Mills High School of Narayanganj managed a solitary goal victory over Faridpur High School to reach the final of the banglalink tiger trophy National School Football Championship yesterday.

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Cricket:Talent hunting goes southeastThe talent hunt programme titled 'cricket medhar khoje' will start its journey in the southeast zone of the country tomorrow.

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Chess:Qatar humble men's teamBangladesh men's team stumbled but the women made the eleventh round of the 37th Chess Olympiad a successful one at Turin, Italy on Friday.

Football:Mourinho fancies BrazilChelsea's Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho believes defending champions Brazil are the favourites to win the World Cup as their squad is in even better shape than four year ago.

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Football:Cafu confident of repeatNo one has played in four consecutive World Cup title games. Brazilian defender Cafu already is thinking about being the first.

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Football:Ballack was right: KlinsiGermany coach Juergen Klinsmann says captain Michael Ballack was right to express concerns about his team's defence before they beat Colombia 3-0 on Friday.

Cricket:Windies in commandWest Indies took control on the opening day of the first Test against India here on Friday after a fine bowling display from Dwayne Bravo and Corey Collymore kept the tourists batsman on the back foot.

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Tennis:Henin wins with vengeanceDefending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne took revenge on the only woman to have beaten her at Roland Garros in the last three years on Saturday to set up a French Open fourth round clash with 2004 winner

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Cricket:Spinners put SL on topPaul Collingwood stood firm as Sri Lanka spinners Muttiah Muralidaran and Sanath Jayasuriya maintained their grip on the second day of the third and final Test at Trent Bridge here Saturday.

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Cricket:Confusion over Akhtar injuryTo nobody's great surprise, confusion reigns supreme over the exact status of Shoaib Akhtar's ankle injury, and whether or not it will allow him to participate in this summer's tour to England.

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Cricket:Vaughan in the runsEngland captain Michael Vaughan has signalled his improving fitness with his first first-class half-century since returning from his knee injury.

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Cricket:Vettori down againNew Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right lower back and will return to his homeland for treatment, the English county Warwickshire confirmed Friday.

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Football:Juventus duo questionedItaly skipper Fabio Cannavaro and his Juventus teammate, France international David Trezeguet, appeared before prosecutors investigating alleged corruption in Serie A here on Saturday.

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Football:Mikel seals Chelsea moveChelsea have agreed a 16 million pounds (30 million dollars) fee for John Obi Mikel after Manchester United and the Nigerian midfielder's former Norwegian club Lyn Oslo reached a settlement with the west

Grabbers out to occupy vast Ctg Wasa landA group of land grabbers is out to occupy a vast area of land of Chittagong Water and Sewerage Authority (CWASA) illegally in connivance with some unscrupulous employees of the public utilities.

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'Restore Women Dev Policy '97'Speakers at a meeting yesterday reiterated their demand for the restoration of National Women Development Policy (NWDP) 1997 for immediate implementation.

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Implement 6-point education agendaTeachers and employees of private schools, colleges and madrasas demanded implementation of the revised 6-point 'Education Agenda' including salary equal to the teachers of government institutions.

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World Environment Day tomorrowSetting the goal to save the greenery from desertification, the World Environment Day will be observed globally tomorrow.

Teachers demand removal of directorTeachers of the Institute of Social Welfare and Research, Dhaka University (DU), yesterday demanded removal of the director of the institute, blaming him for various irregularities and financial anomalies.

3-hour work abstention todaySangbadik Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SSKOP) called a three-hour work abstention from 11:ooam to 2:00pm protesting attack on journalists in Kushtia and killing and repression on journalists across

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Baishakhi director Bulu's wife demands securityHosne Ara Naznin, estranged wife of MNH Bulu, director of private satellite channel Baishakhi, yesterday said her husband's men are pressuring her to withdraw the case she filed against Bulu.

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President improves furtherThe condition of President Iajuddin Ahmed, now undergoing treatment at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, has improved further, with post-operative infections under control.

Workshop held to empower victimsNari Unnayan Shakti, a national women development organisation, held a workshop at its Banasree office in the city yesterday for prosecutors, victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, complainants

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IT Festival begins in city todayA weeklong IT Festival 2006 of International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC), Dhaka Campus begins in the city today, says a press release.

'Create awareness about safe driving'Speakers at the concluding session of a two-day workshop on 'Safe Driving Awareness' yesterday emphasised the need for creating awareness among the drivers for an accident-free road, says a press release.

SUST crisis likely to easeWith joining of the newly appointed treasurer today, the crisis-stricken Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) may return to normalcy after about three weeks, campus sources expect.

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One dies, 2 fighting for lifeAn elderly landless man died here yesterday afternoon while two others are fighting for life at a local hospital following their abduction and torture by miscreants at Bairagirchak in Kaliganj upazila

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Token mass hunger strike for arrest of copsA token 'mass hunger strike' was observed at the call of Gaibandha Nagorik Committee yesterday demanding arrest of Sadar thana Officer-in-Charge and others accused in the case for 'murder' of Sajid in

Dinajpur vet college closed sine dieDinajpur Government Veterinary College was closed sine die yesterday following a non-stop student agitation. The college authorities also urged the students to leave their dormitories by night.

Proposal for an elevated metro plus railway lineWhat is PLUS FIFTEEN? It is a term generally used by planners and urban Designers to indicate a structure or physical element that carries or connects traffic and or people 15 ft above grade, to allow

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Corrupts and clowns!Corrupts and clowns! Arguably, many more words can be added to the list. No, I do not claim that they are synonymous.

A medley of songs, dance and recitationRabindra Bharati Praktoni, an organisation of graduates from Rabindra Bharati University, India arranged a cultural programme titled Pathochala at the Experimental Theatre Stage on June 2.

Ontorjatra hits the big screenTareque Masud and Catherine Masud's latest feature film, Ontorjatra, was released on June 2 at the Star Cineplex in Bashundhara City. The chief guest at the press show was Professor Anisuzzaman.

30 Taliban killed in fightingNearly 30 Taliban rebels were killed in the latest strikes in Afghanistan while Afghan and coalition troops took back a district that had been in rebel hands for days, officials said.

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US studying Iran's retaliation optionsIf cornered by the West over its nuclear programme, Iran could direct Hezbollah to enlist its widespread international support network to aid in terrorist attacks, intelligence officials say.

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US probe clears troops over Iraq killingsA US military probe yesterday cleared troops of wrongdoing in one of three cases of alleged killings of civilians in Iraq, which have raised worldwide concern over US conduct in the war-torn country.

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Arrest warrant against Benazir, spouseA Pakistani court has issued arrest warrants against former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and her spouse for not responding to its summons in connection with submitting a false statement of assets, aday

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India won't play active role in Lanka peaceIndia fully supports the peace process in Sri Lanka but will not play an active role because it may "complicate" the situation, Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said yesterday.

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'Millions breathe cancer-causing air in India'Millions in India breathe air loaded with cancer-causing chemicals and toxic gases present at levels that are thousands of times higher than permissible limits, an independent report said yesterday.

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Australia wants UN police force for East TimorAustralia wants the United Nations to provide a police force for East Timor that will eventually take away responsibility for security from the mostly military peacekeeping force deployed last week.

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Afghan president sacks top cops after riotsAfghan President Hamid Karzai has fired dozens of top police officials, including the Kabul police chief, days after anti-US riots raged out of control in the capital for hours, officials said Saturday.

Editorial:Another round of trouble in RMG sector?It is unfortunate that in spite of the two tripartite agreements reached among the garment industry owners, workers and the government, violence still rankles in the sector.

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Editorial:Subsidy questionIt fits in with the current pre-budget ambience that some eminent economists have highlighted the anomalies in the disbursement of agriculture subsidies and loans to the farmers.

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Comedies unparalleledThe cynics are saying it rather emphatically that humour in the socio-political dramas that are being enacted in the Land of Hope has reached a classic proportion.

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Bangladesh in global communityRegardless of universal concern and opposition by many one may have to accept the fact that the asymmetric world of today, like society from time immemorial, is divided into groups based on power, beliefs

Performance of finance ministerM Iqbal Karim deserves special thanks for analysing the performance of the Finance Minister (DS-26May). Mr. Saifur Rahman is responsible to a great extent for the economic debacles.

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Unforgettable Raj KapoorThe article 'The unforgettable Raj Kapoor' by your cultural correspondent (June 2) was quite interesting. However, he has failed to mention the name of R.K.

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Allah/ Khoda HafezThis letter is in response to the letters written by Jamsyd Osman and Moniruddin Ahmed on 26th May on the above mentioned subject.

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Private universityPrivate universities are being criticised nowadays. But in my opinion, even though there are some problems in management, private universities are making good contribution to higher education.

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Voter listIt appeared in the various news media that the CEC has shown a positive attitude to adhere to the directives of the SC in preparing the voter list.

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Failure of democracy!Recently, the Chief Justice commented at a seminar that corruption has reached such a point where it has become an acceptable behaviour or norm.

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Garment sector in turmoilNow it's rather quiet on the garment front. After four days of anarchy, vandalism, accusations and counter -accusations, the garment industry is going to be operative again.

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Conspiracy!There are enemies everywhere who are trying to destroy Bangladesh and its image abroad.

Distressing pain of anus and anal fissureLots of people suffer from pain in anal canal. It is a distressing and annoying symptom. Anus means the passage through which we pass motion and wind. Fissure means an ulcer or a crack in anal canal.

In today's stressful life headache is one of the most frequent discomforts. Lots of us suffer from terrible headache during or after day-work.

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Herbal extract shows promise for diabetesAn herb long used in traditional Indian medicine appears to control the rise in blood sugar that follows a meal -- suggesting, researchers say, that it could help treat or even prevent type 2 diabetes.

US first lady proposes worldwide HIV testing dayThe United States plans to propose a global annual HIV Testing Day modeled on a US campaign encouraging at-risk individuals to determine if they have the AIDS virus, first lady Laura Bush said on Friday.

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Checklist on breast cancer* A variety of disease may affect the breast.* A lump in the breast does not always means cancer. So you need not get worried if you experience a lump or pain in the breast.

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Lighting the path to a brighter futureEvery year the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial draws thousands of communities together across the globe to light candles and demonstrate support for those who have been affected by HIV/AIDS.

Lack of co-ordination hinders progressThe management plan for preparedness and risk reduction of earthquakes is in utter disarray with lack of initiatives and co-ordination among the officials concerned, leaving the disaster-prone city'srescue

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Obscenity in the guise of remedyWhile Mrs Nahar was travelling in the city with her daughter Samia, a leaflet was thrown at her from an outsider. Her curious little 8-year-old started questioning her.

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Of spiritual crafts and mythical designsThe 200-year-old tradition of bronze, brass and silver crafts of Dhamrai Metal Craft moulded into flawlessness reflections of South Asian myths and folk tales of Bengal was displayed at a 10-day longexhibition

No bus service connecting east and west of DhakaAlmost 10 lakh people in the city's eastern part have been, for many years, facing various ordeals travelling downtown in the absence of proper bus services and the lack of direct communication connecting